Syrian Republic

Syria (1930/1941/1946-1963) was a republic that was formed under the Mandate of Syria of France in 1930 and gained sovereignty in 1941 when Vichy France was pushed out of the region in World War II. The French later tried to reclaim the province, but in August 1946 they were forced by other countries to withdraw and Syria became independent. In 1963 it became the Syrian Arab Republic.

History
The Mandatory Syrian Republic lasted from 1930 to 1941 under the rule of France, but in 1940 it fell under the control of the Vichy France puppet government and Syria was ruled by pro-Nazi Germany during World War II. In 1941, the United Kingdom and French Resistance overthrew the government and Syria became a sovereign nation. However, in 1946 it was reoccupied after France bombed the government's headquarters in Damascus and occupied the country. In August, the last French troops were withdrawn because of pressure from the United Nations.

Syria was ruled by a government that was predominantly Sunni Muslim, and in 1948 they vehemently opposed the independence of Israel from the United Kingdom, who had given up the countries of Iraq, Jordan, Sudan, the Confederation of Zanzibar, Egypt, and Palestine. The Syrian Army intervened in the Israeli War of Independence and set up defensive borders along the Golan Heights, while also grabbing some additional territories. However, in July 1949 they were forced to make peace, the last Arab country to do so during the war.

In 1958, Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic in hopes of teaming up against Israel as a united Arab state. However, this quickly fell apart. In 1963, Hafez al-Assad assisted in an uprising that overthrew the government and began the Syrian Arab Republic.

== Culture ==

In 1958, Syria had a population of 4,307,000 people. The main religion was Islam (including the Sunni, Alawite Shia, and Twelver Shia denominations), while Christianity, Judaism, Yezidism, and Druzism were close behind in numbers. Syrian Jews were forced to make aliyah to Israel to avoid persecution by the anti-Semitic government of Syria, while the Shias and Sunnis fought many times over their religious differences.